The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     According to statistics published today (August 31) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, total deposits with authorized institutions increased by 1.2 per cent in July 2023. Among the total, Hong Kong dollar deposits decreased by 0.2 per cent while foreign currency deposits increased by 2.7 per cent in July. In the year to end-July, total deposits and Hong Kong dollar deposits grew by 1.4 per cent and 1.5 per cent respectively. Renminbi deposits in Hong Kong increased by 0.1 per cent in July to RMB907.9 billion at the end of July. The total remittance of renminbi for cross-border trade settlement amounted to RMB1,022.1 billion in July, compared with RMB1,089.2 billion in June. It should be noted that changes in deposits are affected by a wide range of factors, such as interest rate movements and fund-raising activities. It is therefore more appropriate to observe the longer-term trends, and not to over-generalise fluctuations in a single month.  
      
     Total loans and advances decreased by 1.0 per cent in July, and decreased by 1.5 per cent in the year to end-July. Among the total, loans for use in Hong Kong (including trade finance) and loans for use outside Hong Kong decreased by 1.1 per cent and 0.6 per cent respectively in July. The Hong Kong dollar loan-to-deposit ratio decreased to 87.8 per cent at the end of July from 88.7 per cent at the end of June, as Hong Kong dollar loans decreased by a larger extent than Hong Kong dollar deposits.
                
     Hong Kong dollar M2 and M3 both decreased slightly by 0.2 per cent in July while both increased slightly by 0.3 per cent when compared to a year ago. The seasonally-adjusted Hong Kong dollar M1 decreased by 0.3 per cent in July and decreased by 19.5 per cent compared to a year ago, reflecting in part investment-related activities. Total M2 and total M3 both increased by 1.0 per cent in July. Compared to a year earlier, total M2 and total M3 both rose by 2.3 per cent.  
      
     As monthly monetary statistics are subject to volatilities due to a wide range of transient factors, such as seasonal and IPO-related funding demand as well as business and investment-related activities, caution is required when interpreting the statistics.

     From noon August 30 to noon today (August 31), the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department conducted tests on the radiological level of 63 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
     
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological tests. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
     
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly was detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website (www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological level of 1 288 samples of food imported from Japan (including 662 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 400 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     The Government announced today (August 31) the appointment of Mr Nicholas Ho Lik-chi as the Commissioner for Belt and Road following an open recruitment exercise. Mr Ho will assume office tomorrow (September 1).
 
     On Mr Ho's appointment, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, "Mr Ho has been representing Hong Kong, China on the APEC Business Advisory Council since 2017 and has good exposure in representing Hong Kong at different conferences and fora, locally and internationally. He possesses rich experience in engaging different stakeholders including business and professional services sectors in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. I am confident that Mr Ho will lead the Belt and Road Office to leverage Hong Kong's unique advantages and premier business environment under the "one country, two systems" principle, and will continue enhancing Hong Kong's role as a functional platform and key link in the Belt and Road Initiative to further strengthen Hong Kong as an international commerce centre, and to foster better integration into national development."
 
     Brief biographical notes of Mr Ho are set out below:
 
Mr Nicholas Ho Lik-chi
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     Mr Ho is a registered architect in Hong Kong who has held senior positions in hpa for the past 10 years and was appointed Chair of the firm from 2020. He has led a number of Belt and Road related projects involving smart cities development and green buildings construction. As the Convenor of Hong Kong Trade Development Council Belt and Road Committee Professional Services Working Group and the Co-convenor of the Belt and Road Working Group of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Mr Ho has partnered with different stakeholder groups, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative through participation in seminars and mission trips, etc.

  

     â€‹The Education Bureau (EDB) today (August 31) announced the appointment of six new members and the reappointment of seven incumbent members to the Committee on Home-School Co-operation (CHSC) for a term of two years with effect from September 1, 2023. 

     The six newly appointed members are Ms May Cheung Fung-mei, Mr Ricky Choi Wai-kit, Ms Adeline Kuo Sze-wing, Ms Bonnie Ng Ka-pik, Mr Timothy Tam Tin-lok and Mr Tang Fei.

     The seven incumbent members reappointed are Ms Alison Chan Chi-yan, Dr Joanne Chan Chung-yan, Mr Brian Cheung Ngai-hoi, Mr Regan Ho Ting-hong, Ms Diana Lee Wei-kit, Ms Rebecca Ng Mei-ying and Dr Adrian Sham Kwan-ho.

     The CHSC comprises members from different walks of life including parents and professionals in the education, medical, legal, accountancy and commercial sectors.

     Established in 1993 as an advisory body, the CHSC serves the main roles of promoting home-school co-operation and advising the EDB, other government departments and non-government organisations on ways to promote parent involvement in education.

     The full membership list of the CHSC with effect from September 1, 2023, is as follows:
 

*Newly appointed member

     The Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Tony Wong, led a delegation of Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) industry to visit Tianjin yesterday (August 30) to participate in the three-day 25th China International Software Expo (CISE) starting today (August 31) at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention Center. A Hong Kong Pavilion was set up at the CISE to showcase over 20 outstanding products and technology solutions of Hong Kong's I&T industry, enabling Hong Kong enterprises to deepen their co-operation and explore unlimited business opportunities on the Mainland.
      
     The exhibits of the Hong Kong Pavilion, mainly from the winning projects of the Hong Kong ICT Awards or the "Maker in China" SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest – Hong Kong Chapter, cover a wide range of technology fields such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality, cloud computing, big data, Web 3.0, and Internet of Things. Also touching on various types of applications, including fintech, biotechnology, smart construction site management and digital entertainment, the exhibits highlight the deep integration of digital technology with the real economy. The Hong Kong Pavilion also features a mini-stage for Hong Kong exhibitors to present their products and services to potential buyers, business partners and investors in an innovative, diversified and interactive manner.

     Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Pavilion, Mr Wong said that this is the 11th consecutive year for the Hong Kong delegation to join this large-scale national software exposition. The annual CISE offers golden opportunities for Hong Kong's I&T industry members to present their excellent services and products to the Mainland I&T communities and investors, helping them to tap into the enormous Mainland market, and allowing them to integrate into the overall development of the country and contribute to the country's I&T development. Mr Wong also called on the Mainland I&T communities to learn more about Hong Kong's I&T development. He also invited them to leverage Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland, being closely connected to the world and having a high degree of internationalisation, to show the world the country's I&T power and tell good stories of the country's I&T development.
      
     The delegation comprises about 30 members, including the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Hong Kong Software Industry Association and exhibitors of the Hong Kong Pavilion. The CISE, led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, was organised by the China Information Technology Industry Federation and undertaken by the Tianjin Smart City Research Institute. This year's CISE is themed "shaping a new software ecosystem and empowering new changes to the development" and it is the largest national software trade show in the country.
      
     Mr Wong concluded his visit today and returned to Hong Kong in the evening.